of how the frog in a few moments began to act like a drunken person,
vomited, and hopped about as fast as possible, and then laid down,
twitched for a moment in agony, and died; or informed him that many
people become insane just through the use of tobacco, John might have
yet been influenced to leave the poisonous stuff alone--but perhaps his
father did not know. Anyway, John was left without this much-needed
information.

Boys who are not properly warned of the danger of tobacco-using are to
be pitied more than blamed if they indulge; but their ignorance does not
lessen the harm and the evils wrought. When the poison gets into the
system, it affects the most vital organs; it undermines that strength
and destroys that beauty which ornament true manhood and which assure an
individual of success. Besides, the continued using causes the indulger
to form a habit that cannot be easily overcome.

John, being not fully warned of the dreadful consequences of using
tobacco, and yet determined to become a man, kept on smoking until he
so accustomed his system to the shock that he felt satisfied he was
becoming a conqueror and would soon be able to show his father that
he was now a man.

During the time that John was undergoing such severe temptation, his
father was very busy. He realized that his child needed more instruction
than he was receiving and that Will's influence over John was not good;
but just what advice to give, he hardly knew. Once he thought that he
could smell tobacco smoke on his boy's clothing so calling John to his
side, he said:

"John, I feel that I must tell you something more about certain bad